Ruperts Journey

Rupert's Journey is a curious tale about a purported adventure experienced by one Rupert Michael. By all appearances Mr. Michael does not claim this to be a work of fiction. Certainly something happened to the once unpleasant Mr. Michael, so that he did seem to change for the better. If Rupert Michael is a name invented by the actual author, his or her true identity is not now known. All of this said, Rupert's Journey has its own unique charm and is reminiscent at times of Gulliver's Travels and Alice in Wonderland. Some might call it a tightly written work, while others might say that it lacks somewhat in volume. If you are short on time or are in the mood for a relatively brief adventure story, Rupert's Journey might well be just what you are looking for. There is much within these pages that will appeal to a younger audience, or those who believe it is better to grow up than to grow old.

Benjamin Alexander is a former United States Army Infantry Officer who traveled to Northern Iraq in June 2015 as a volunteer fighter with the Kurdish Peshmerga. Walk through his shoes and experience the life of a foreign volunteer fighting against the Islamic State in this thrilling autobiography. Learn what happened behind the scenes of creating the most successful volunteer unit in Kurdistan and all of the drama that ensued. Follow the struggle of Benjamin's journey and learn how he became Rupert Alan.

The purpose of Rupert's book is to look clearly and simply at the nature of experience, without any attempt to change it. A series of contemplations lead us gently but directly to see that our essential nature is neither a body nor a mind. It is the conscious Presence that is aware of this current experience. As such it is nothing that can be experienced as an object and yet it is undeniably present. However, these contemplations go much further than this. As we take our stand knowingly as this conscious Presence that we always already are, and reconsider the objects of the body, mind and world, we find that they do not simply appear to this Presence, they appear within it. And further exploration reveals that they do not simply appear within this Presence but as this Presence. Finally we are led to see that it is in fact this very Presence itself that takes the shape of our experience from moment to moment whilst always remaining only itself. We see that our experience is and has only ever been one seamless totality with no separate entities or objects anywhere to be found.

Being Myself is a contemplative exploration of the essential nature of our self. Everyone has the sense of ‘being myself,' but not everyone knows their self clearly. In most cases, our sense of self is mixed up with the content of experience and, as a result, its natural condition of peace and happiness is veiled. Through investigation and analogy, the meditations in this collection take us back to our true nature again and again, until we begin to find our self naturally and effortlessly established there, as that. In time, experience loses its capacity to veil our being, and its innate peace and joy emerge from the background of experience. * * * The Essence of Meditation Series presents meditations on the essential, non-dual understanding that lies at the heart of all the great religious and spiritual traditions, compiled from contemplations led by Rupert Spira at his meetings and retreats. This simple, contemplative approach, which encourages a clear seeing of one’s experience rather than any kind of effort or discipline, leads the reader to an experiential understanding of their own essential being and the peace and fulfilment that are inherent within it.

For nearly two centuries, the Company of Adventurers trading into Hudson’s Bay exported from Rupert’s Land hundreds of thousands of pelts, leaving in exchange a wealth of European trade goods. Yet opening the vast northwest had more far-reaching effects than an exchange of beaver and beads. Essays by a dozen scholars explore the cultural tapestry woven by explorers, artists, settlers, traders, missionaries, and map makers. Richard Ruggles traces the mapping of the territory from the mysterious gaps of the 1500s to the grids of the nineteenth century. John L. Allen recounts how fur-trade explorations encouraged Thomas Jefferson to dispatch the Lewis and Clark expedition. Irene Spry retells the gusto with which John Palliser, a half-century later, studied the prairies. Olive Dickason examines the first contacts of Europeans with Inuit and Amerindians, while James G.E. Smith presents the differing views of the land held by Caribou Eater Chipewyan and traders. Robert H. Cockburn, following Oberholtzer in 1912 and Downes in 1939, finds two more recent views of the Caribou Eater Chipewyan. Fred Crabb points out that much of this century’s church work has been carried out by native and mixed-blood residents. Clive Holland outlines Franklin’s first land expedition. Sylvia Van Kirks clerk in the trade finds his opinion of “this rascally and ungrateful country“ gradually changing, while R. Douglas Francis compares the ideal image and reality as the West opened to settlement. Robert Stacey tells how the theories of the picturesque and the sublime influenced artists portrayals of the West and the Arctic; Edward Cavell illustrates how the camera recorded Rupert’‘s Land and changed our perceptions of it as well. Forty-six maps, drawings and paintings, and documentary photographs illustrate the tapestry of the text.

"I have personally adopted many of the practices Rupert describes in his book and experienced more love, joy, empathy, gratitude, and equanimity as a result. We are all indebted to Rupert, who has tirelessly brought us deep insights from both science and spirituality.” ―Deepak Chopra The effects of spiritual practices are now being investigated scientifically as never before, and many studies have shown that religious and spiritual practices generally make people happier and healthier. In this pioneering book, Rupert Sheldrake shows how science helps validate seven practices on which many religions are built, and which are part of our common human heritage: meditation, gratitude, connecting with nature, relating to plants, rituals, singing and chanting, and pilgrimage and holy places. Sheldrake summarizes the latest scientific research on what happens when we take part in these practices, and suggests ways that readers can explore these fields for themselves. For those who are religious, Science and Spiritual Practices will illuminate the evolutionary origins of their own traditions and give a new appreciation of their power. For the nonreligious, this book will show how the core practices of spirituality are accessible to all. This is a book for anyone who suspects that in the drive toward radical secularism, something valuable has been left behind. Rupert Sheldrake compellingly argues that by opening ourselves to the spiritual dimension, we may find the strength to live more fulfilling lives.

Although Rupert liked watching his owner Mandy dance during the day, he secretly enjoyed dancing at night while Mandy slept.

Ireland.

Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. He realized that awareness of divine reality was shifting, and that if it were lost, dire consequences would follow. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. Dante's masterpiece presents a cosmic vision of reality, which he invites his readers to traverse with him. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.